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Photo gallery for Leiden's Shadows: A Dark History Walking Tour

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By Leiden Walks

Reviews

10 out of 10
Exceptional
Free cancellation available
Price is S$43 per adult
See tickets

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 2h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

  • Discover the hidden history of Leiden as you navigate its shadowy corners on this captivating 2-hour walking tour. Step away from the city's charming canals to explore tales of plague pits, public executions, and mysterious disappearances that shaped the city’s past. Knowledgeable guides will reveal chilling stories of crime and punishment that often go unheard. This atmospheric journey is designed for guests ages 12 and older, providing an intriguing insight into Leiden's darker side.

    • 2-hour walking tour exploring Leiden's dark history
    • Discover stories of plague, poison, and public executions
    • Led by knowledgeable guides for a deeper understanding of local lore
    • Recommended for ages 12 and older, perfect for friends, families, and history enthusiasts

Activity location

  • Van der Werfpark
    • Kruitschip, Van der Werfpark uit 1886 aan Kruitschip tussen Steenschuur en Garenmarkt
    • 2311 RS, Leiden, The Netherlands

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Visbrug
    • Visbrug
    • Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Check availability

Dark Side of Leiden

  • Activity duration is 2 hours2h
    2h
  • English
Language options: English
Starting time: 19:00
Price details
S$42.95 x 2 AdultsS$85.90
Total
Price is S$85.90
Until Wed, 28 Oct

What's included, what's not

  • Inclusions
    True Stories from Leiden's Darker Histories
  • Inclusions
    Guide
  • Inclusions
    Sightseeing

Know before you book

    • Service animals allowed
    • Public transport options are available nearby
    • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Lange Sint Agnietenstraat 10 (Pass by)

Since 1414, the Saint Cecilia Monastery, which became the property of the city by the Reformation, stood here. In 1596, it was transformed as a home for the city's most repellant plague sufferers... the city's first Pesthuis.

Van der Werfpark

  • 10m
Today, it is a serene park, but it marks the site of what was once one of the deadliest national disasters in modern Dutch history

Het Heilige Geest- of Arme Wees- en Kinderhuis (Pass by)

The Orphanage, formerly known as the Holy Spirit or Poor Orphans and Children’s Home, is one of the largest monuments in Leiden. Operating for nearly 400 years, orphaned children stayed in the building on Hooglandse Kerkgracht, with as many as 579 children at its peak.

Pieterskerk Leiden (Pass by)

Pieterskerk Leiden has a surprisingly macabre and dramatic past, featuring a catastrophic 16th-century tower collapse, thousands of hidden graves under your feet, and unsettling WWII tales.

Gravensteen (Pass by)

The Gravensteen in Leiden is one of the city's oldest buildings and holds a notoriously dark history. Originally built as a private refuge tower for the Counts of Holland, it transitioned into a medieval prison, torture chamber, and execution site, leaving behind a chilling legacy.

Galgewater (Pass by)

Galgewater translates literally to "Gallows Water". Dating back to the Middle Ages, this canal in Leiden's historic centre earned its grim name because the city’s execution grounds and public gallows were stationed along its banks, serving as a dark warning to criminals.

Morspoort (Pass by)

The name "Morspoort" literally translates to "Marsh Gate". It gets its name from "De Morsch," a swampy, desolate marshland that sat just outside the city walls—the perfect backdrop for medieval dread and executions.

Rijksmuseum Boerhaave (Pass by)

Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, named after the renowned scientist Herman Boerhaave, is a fascinating museum in Leiden that showcases scientific and medical objects dating back to the 16th century. Housed in a historic 15th-century convent, which was once Northern Europe's first academic hospital, there is a history of truly disturbing medical mishaps and autopsies in the prominently displayed medical theatre.

Leiden University Academic Building (Pass by)

On the Rapenburg canal, Leiden University opened one of Europe's first anatomical theatres in 1594. During winters, professors of anatomy held public dissections of cadavers to a fee-paying audience of students and surgeons, but also curious members of the public. The bodies dissected were not just those who died of natural causes. Surgical instruments on display were also used to dissect the bodies of executed criminals, and those dissections attracted regular crowds of curious spectators

Oostdwarsgracht 24 (Pass by)

The World's Deadliest Poisoner In the 19th century, Leiden harboured a serial killer whose crimes went undetected for years precisely because she seemed so kind. Maria Swanenburg, better known as "Goeie Mie" (Good Mie), was responsible for poisoning nearly 102 people, 90 of whom died. Her crimes went undetected for years because she poisoned her victims' food with arsenic powder, an undetectable method at the time.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Van der Werfpark
    • Kruitschip, Van der Werfpark uit 1886 aan Kruitschip tussen Steenschuur en Garenmarkt
    • 2311 RS, Leiden, The Netherlands

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Visbrug
    • Visbrug
    • Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

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